By Magoh Clara
The Rivers State House of Assembly has reversed its earlier decision to declare the seats of three lawmakers loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara vacant, restoring their positions in the legislature.
The decision was taken during plenary on Monday, October 19, 2026, after the lawmakers appealed to the House to reconsider its earlier action.
The affected lawmakers are Victor Oko-Jumbo, Sokari Goodboy Sokari and Timothy Orubienimigha.
Their appeals, dated October 16, 2026, were read by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, during the sitting.
In their letters, the lawmakers explained that they had not resumed legislative duties because they had not seen the correspondence informing them that their suspension had been lifted.
They consequently appealed to the House to reverse its decision declaring their seats vacant.
The three lawmakers were suspended in October 2023 during the political crisis that affected the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Their suspension was lifted in December 2023 following reconciliation efforts involving political stakeholders.
However, after they failed to return to legislative sittings, the Assembly declared their seats vacant on October 15, 2025, and notified the Independent National Electoral Commission of its decision to conduct by-elections.
Following deliberations on the appeals, lawmakers voted to rescind the vacancy declaration.
The development marks another turn in the prolonged political tensions in Rivers State, which have involved disagreements between Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alongside their respective political supporters.
The reversal restores the three lawmakers to the House, although its wider implications for political relations in the state remain to be seen.
